Securing Cargo for Rail Transport Using Polymer Foam Material

ABSTRACT

A cargo restraint panel may include a foam component. That foam component may have at least one polymer foam sheet. A front face fibrous reinforcing material may be bonded to and substantially cover a front face of the foam component. A rear face fibrous reinforcing material may be bonded to and substantially cover a rear face of the foam component. The cargo restraint panel may include one or more edge guards. Cargo may be secured in a railcar or other conveyance by, e.g., placing cargo restraint panels between cargo units.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/496,244, titled “Securing Cargo for Rail Transport Using Polymer FoamMaterial” and filed Apr. 25, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/148,192, titled “Securing Cargo for RailTransport Using Polymer Foam Material” and filed May 6, 2016 (now U.S.Pat No 9,637,044), which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/663,531, titled “Securing Cargo for Rail Transport UsingPolymer Foam Material” and filed Mar. 20, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,333,899), which application claims priority to U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 62/102,158, titled “Securing Cargo for Rail TransportUsing Polymer Foam Material” and filed Jan. 12, 2015, and to U.S.provisional patent application No. 62/095,981, titled “Securing Cargofor Rail Transport Using Polymer Foam Material” and filed Dec. 23, 2014.All of the above-identified applications, in their entireties, areincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

A large amount of cargo is transported by rail. Some types of cargo maybe transported in bulk by simply dumping, pouring, or otherwisetransferring that cargo directly into an appropriate type of rollingstock. The bulk cargo then assumes the shape of the interior of therolling stock, thereby generally securing the cargo against movementwithin the rolling stock. For example, grains, other types ofagricultural products, minerals, and other goods may be loaded directlyinto rail hopper cars. As another example, many types of liquids can bepumped directly into rail tank cars. In many other cases, however, cargomay take the form of discrete cargo units that do not necessarily assumethe shape of a railcar interior. Examples of such cargo units include,without limitation, boxes, crates, drums, reinforced bags, plasticwrapped bundles, cased goods, metal coils, specialty heavy paper rolls,plastic or metal containers mounted on pallets, other types ofpalletized cargo, etc.

Applicable regulations require that cargo units be restrained againstlateral and longitudinal shifting during rail transport. In particular,a railcar may experience significant acceleration in the longitudinaldirection between the front and rear of the railcar. Such accelerationmay occur as a train is repeatedly humped while additional cars areadded, when the train begins moving, when the train comes to a stop,etc. If cargo units within the railcar are not restrained, they mayshift and collide with each other or with walls of the railcar. Theamount of cargo within a single railcar can be substantial (e.g., up to100 tons). At a minimum, shifting cargo units can thus cause cargodamage. In some cases, damage to the railcar, derailment or otherproperty damage can result.

Conventionally, cargo units have been restrained within railcars usingdunnage materials formed from paper. These dunnage materials typicallyhave a honeycomb or other type of cellular structure and are used tofill spaces between cargo units and/or between cargo units and interiorwalls of a railcar. Using such materials for cargo restraint in railcarshas proved unsatisfactory in several respects. Cellular paper dunnagematerial is crushed when subjected to sufficient impact, but does notrebound. Although that dunnage material may protect cargo from damageduring the event that causes the dunnage material to be crushed, a voidspace then remains around the cargo. When the next acceleration eventoccurs, the cargo may shift and cause damage. Furthermore, the strengthof these paper-based products can be severely compromised when exposedto moisture, which can be common in an industrial shipping environment.

Another conventional restraining technique involves the use ofinflatable bags placed between cargo units and/or placed between cargounits and interior walls of a railcar. However, such bags often inflatein a cylindrical manner. As a result, significant void spaces may stillremain between cargo units and/or between cargo units and walls of arailcar, and cargo may not be restrained in a secure manner.Furthermore, the internal pressure in an air dunnage bag fluctuates astemperature, barometric pressure, and altitude fluctuate. If an airdunnage bag is inflated in a railcar loaded at sea level, for example,that same bag may not maintain correct pressure to perform as desired ata final destination located in a mountainous region. Because railcarscommonly move across the country, such bag pressure variation canseverely impact the practicality and consistency of cargo restraintmethods that rely on inflatable dunnage.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the invention.

In some embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may include a foamcomponent. That foam component may have at least one polymer foam sheet.The foam component may include a foam component front face, a foamcomponent rear face, and a plurality of foam component side faces. Thefoam component side faces may be located between the foam componentfront face and the foam component rear face. A front face fibrousreinforcing material may be bonded to and substantially cover the foamcomponent front face. A rear face fibrous reinforcing material may bebonded to and substantially cover the foam component rear face. Thecargo restraint panel may include one or more edge guards. Embodimentsalso include methods for securing cargo in a railcar or other conveyanceby, e.g., placing cargo restraint panels between cargo units. Additionalembodiments are described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way oflimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate an example of cargo unit restraint, within arailcar and using cargo restraint panels, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate another example of cargo unit restraint,within a railcar and using cargo restraint panels, according to someembodiments.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a cargo restraint panel used to restrain cargo insome embodiments.

FIG. 4A shows a front face of a cargo restraint panel according to someembodiments.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view from the location indicated in FIG.4A.

FIGS. 4C and 4D are enlarged cross-sectional views from the locationsindicated in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cargo restraint panelaccording to some additional embodiments.

FIGS. 6A through 6C are respective front, side, and rear views of acargo restraint panel according to additional embodiments.

FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view from the location indicated in FIG.6A.

FIGS. 6E and 6F are enlarged cross-sectional views from the locationsindicated in FIG. 6D.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views of a cargo restraint panel according tosome additional embodiments.

FIG. 7C is an area cross-sectional view from the location indicated inFIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cargo restraint panel according tosome further embodiments.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a further example of cargo unit restraint,within a railcar and using cargo restraint panels, according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Cargo restraint panels comprising sheets of polymer foam material may beused to secure cargo units within a railcar. In at least someembodiments, the polymer foam material is expanded polystyrene (EPS).EPS is commercially available in large sizes and in a variety ofdensities. In some embodiments, EPS used for a cargo restraint panel mayhave a density of between about 0.5 pounds per cubic foot (PCF) andabout 2.0 PCF. Example grades of EPS that may be used include, withoutlimitation, ASTM C 578 Type XI (0.70-0.89 PCF), Type I (0.9-1.14 PCF),Type VIII (1.15-1.34 PCF), Type II (1.35-1.79 PCF), and Type IX(1.80-2.20 PCF). Other grades of EPS foam and/or or other densities mayalternatively be used. EPS may be obtained in prefabricated sheetshaving desired dimensions. EPS may also or alternatively be obtained inlarge blocks from which sheets of desired dimensions may be cut usingknown techniques (e.g., using an electric hot wire cutting tool).

EPS is highly shock absorbent and has a high compressive strength.Moreover, and unlike paper dunnage, EPS is elastic. After beingcompressed, an EPS sheet returns to its original shape when thecompressive force is removed. EPS is extremely lightweight, and unlikepaper dunnage material, can be re-used.

FIG. 1A is a side view of a railcar 100 showing one example of cargounit restraint using cargo restraint panels 105. In the example of FIG.1A, railcar 100 is a boxcar. In other embodiments, cargo units may berestrained within other types of railcars using cargo restraint panelssuch as are disclosed herein. FIG. 1B is a top view of railcar 100. InFIGS. 1A and 1B, the top, the side walls, and the end walls of railcar100 have been omitted for purposes of explanation. The outline of theinner surfaces of the railcar 100 ceiling, side walls, and end walls areshown with broken lines. For convenience, a length axis L, a width axisW, and a height axis H are also indicated. Subsequent references tolength, width, or height within a railcar refer to dimensions along axesL, W, and H, respectively.

Situated within railcar 100 are a plurality of cargo units 101. In theexample of FIGS. 1A and 1B, cargo units 101 are uniformly sized and arearranged in stacks that comprise three units in the direction of axis H.Cargo units 101 are arranged in rows that comprise two cargo units 101extending across the width of railcar 100. In other embodiments, cargounits secured within a railcar may be of different sizes, may be ofnon-uniform sizes, and/or may be arranged in another manner.

[27] Along axis W, cargo units are separated by void filling elements102. Elements 102 may be, e.g., expandable void fillers such as thosesold under the name Void Gard® by Walnut Industries, Inc. of Bensalem,Pa., US, and/or as described in one or more of U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,443,U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,508, or U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,920, all of which areincorporated by reference herein. Other types of void fillers can alsoor alternatively be used to fill voids between cargo units in thedirection of axis W and/or between cargo units and a side wall of arailcar.

In the direction of axis L, cargo restraint panels 105 are interposedbetween stacks of cargo units 101 and between stacks of cargo units 101and end walls of railcar 100. In the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, some ofcargo restraint panels 105 include cargo restraint panels 105 a, each ofwhich is a four inch thick polymer foam sheet. Cargo restraint panels105 also include cargo restraint panels 105 b, each of which is an eightinch thick polymer foam sheet. Each of the polymer foam sheets in panels105 is a continuous piece of polymer foam and has a height and widthextending over substantially all of cargo units 101 in a stack. In otherembodiments, and as described in more detail below, some or all of cargorestraint panels 105 may be replaced with one or more cargo restraintpanels that comprise polymer foam sheets and other components.

As seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, cargo units 100 are restrained from movementin the direction of axis L by the presence of panels 105 and by thepresence of other cargo units. In particular, each cargo unit 101 isrestrained from movement along axis L by elimination of gaps between thefront and rear of that cargo unit and the next object (e.g., anothercargo unit, a panel 105, an end wall of railcar 100) along axis L. Atthe ends of railcar 100, panels 105 a are situated between stacks ofcargo units 101 and end walls of railcar 100. Along axis L, stacks ofcargo units 101 and panels 105 are arranged so that no more than twostacks are directly adjacent in the L axis direction. One or more panels105 are placed between stacks that are not directly adjacent. Duringloading, stacks of cargo units 101 and panels 105 may be arranged suchthat panels 105 are slightly compressed.

In the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B, thicker panels 105 b are used to fillthe void between the stack of cargo units 101 near the center of railcar101. In other embodiments, and depending on the size and mix of cargounits being restrained, other combinations of cargo restraint panels maybe used. In some embodiments, relatively thin cargo restraint panels(e.g., consisting of or comprising one inch thick or two inch thicksheets of polymer foam) may be combined or combined with thicker panels(such as panels 105 a and/or 105 b) to fill the space between stacks inthe center of railcar 100, and/or between other stacks of cargo units,and/or between stacks of cargo units and an end wall. One or more panels105, and/or cargo restraint panels of other thickness(es), could also beused to separate one or more stacks of cargo units in the direction ofthe W axis. This may be useful if, for example, it is difficult to placea void filler element 102 in a particular location when the last cargounits are loaded. In some embodiments, panels 105 and/or cargo restraintpanels of other thickness(es) may also be placed between cargo units 101and side walls of railcar 100.

The arrangement of cargo units and cargo restraint panels shown in FIGS.1A and 1B is merely one example of cargo restraint according to variousembodiments. In some embodiments, more that two stacks of cargo units101 may be directly adjacent, while in other embodiments, no stacks ofcargo units are allowed to be directly adjacent. In some embodiments,cargo units may not be stacked. The thickness of cargo restraint panelsused to separate cargo units may also vary.

FIG. 2A is a side view of a railcar 200 showing another example of cargounit restraint using cargo restraint panels. In the example of FIG. 2A,railcar 200 is also a boxcar. FIG. 2B is a top view of railcar 200. Thetop, the side walls, and the end walls of railcar 200 have been omittedfrom FIGS. 2A and 2B for purposes of explanation. The outline of theinner surfaces of the railcar 200 ceiling, side walls, and end walls areshown with broken lines. Length axis L, width axis W, and height axis Hare also indicated.

Situated within railcar 200 are a plurality of cargo units 201. In theexample of FIGS. 2A and 2B, cargo units 201 are uniformly sized and arearranged in stacks that comprise two units in the direction of axis H.Cargo units 201 are arranged in rows that comprise two cargo units 201extending across the width of railcar 200. In other embodiments, cargounits secured within a railcar may be of different sizes, may be ofnon-uniform sizes, and/or may be arranged in another manner. Along axisW, cargo units are separated by void filling elements 102. As with theexample of FIGS. 1A and 1B, other types of void fillers can also oralternatively be used to fill voids between cargo units in the directionof axis W and/or between cargo units and a side wall of a railcar. Inthe direction of axis L, cargo restraint panels 105 are interposedbetween stacks of cargo units 201. In the example of FIGS. 2A and 2B,cargo units 201 are placed directly against the interior surfaces of therailcar 200 end walls. In other embodiments, however, cargo restraintpanels may be interposed between cargo units 201 and the end walls in amanner similar to that shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

As seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B, each of panels 105 has a height and widthextending over substantially all of cargo units 201 in a stack. Cargounits 201 are restrained from movement in the direction of axis L by thepresence of panels 105 and by the presence of other cargo units. Inparticular, each cargo unit 201 is restrained from movement along axis Lby elimination of gaps between the front and rear of that cargo unit andthe next object (e.g., another cargo unit, a panel 105, an end wall ofrailcar 200) along axis L. Along axis L, stacks of cargo units 201 andpanels 105 are arranged so that no two stacks are directly adjacent inthe L axis direction, and a panel 105 is placed between each stack.During loading, stacks of cargo units 201 and panels 105 may be arrangedsuch that panels 105 are slightly compressed. In other embodiments, andas described in more detail below, some or all of cargo restraint panels105 may be replaced with one or more cargo restraint panels thatcomprise polymer foam sheets and other components.

In the example of FIGS. 2A and 2B, thicker panels 105 b are used so asto fill the void between the stack of cargo units 201 near the center ofrailcar 200. In other embodiments, and depending on the size and mix ofcargo units being restrained, other combinations of cargo restraintpanels may be used. In some embodiments, relatively thin cargo restraintpanels (e.g., comprising or consisting of 1 inch thick or 2 inch thickpolymer foam sheets) may be combined or combined with thicker panels(such as panels 105 a and/or 105 b) to fill the space between stacks inthe center of railcar 100, and/or to fill spaces between other stacks ofcargo units, and/or to fill spaces between stacks of cargo units and anend wall. One or more panels 105, and/or cargo restraint panels of otherthickness(es), could also be used to separate one or more stacks ofcargo units in the direction of the W axis. This may be useful if, forexample, it is difficult to place a void filler element 102 in aparticular location when the last cargo units are loaded. In someembodiments, panels 105 and/or panels of other thickness(es) may also beplaced between cargo units 201 and side walls of railcar 200.

In the examples of FIGS. 1A-2B, cargo restraint panels 105 used toseparate cargo units and to separate cargo units from railcar end wallsare continuous polymer foam sheets without any openings. In otherembodiments, a polymer foam sheet of a cargo restraint panel may includeone or more openings. FIG. 3A is a front view of a cargo restraint panel305 according to one such embodiment. FIG. 3B is a side view of panel305. Panel 305 is a sheet of polymer foam that includes a plurality ofopenings 307 that pass completely through the thickness of the polymerfoam sheet. Such openings may be included so as to lighten panel 305, toprovide openings through which lashings may pass when panel 305 issecured when not being used, to allow ventilation, and/or for otherpurposes. The size and/or arrangement of openings may vary.

In some embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may have a facing material(e.g., adhesive backed paper) applied to a face that will contact acargo unit. Such facing material may be replaceable and in someembodiments used to help prevent dirt from soiling restrained cargo.

In some embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may having a reinforcedfacing material bonded to one or more faces so as to prevent punctureand/or other types of damage to a polymer foam sheet of the panel. Asused herein, a first element is “bonded” to a second element when thefirst element is firmly fixed relative to the second element across mostor all of the interface between those elements. Bonding can includeadhesive attachment using glue. Bonding can also include fusion wherebyone or both of the first and second elements, and/or other elements,solidify (e.g., after partial melting) so as to hold the first andsecond elements in a fixed relationship to one another. Bonding can bedirect or indirect. For example, a first element and a second elementcould be indirectly bonded to one another by each being bonded to anintermediate third element.

In some embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may include a foamcomponent having a fibrous reinforcing material bonded to one or morefaces. The foam component may be a single polymer foam sheet or mayinclude multiple polymer foam sheets. FIG. 4A is a front view of a cargorestraint panel 405 according to one such embodiment. FIG. 4B is across-sectional view of panel 405 from the location indicated in FIG.4A. Panel 405 includes a front face 410, a rear face 411, and side faces413 through 416. Panel 405 includes a foam component 404. In theembodiment of FIGS. 4A through 4D, foam component 404 is a singlepolymer foam sheet. Foam component 404 has a front face 470, a rear face471, and side faces 473-476. In other embodiments, and as describedbelow, a foam component may include multiple polymer foam sheets.

Sheets 412 of reinforced facing material are bonded to front face 470and rear face 471 of foam component 404. For purposes of illustration,portions of reinforced facing material 412 are shown peeled away fromfaces 470 and 471 in FIG. 4B. In at least some embodiments, however,reinforced facing material is permanently bonded to a foam component. Inthe embodiment of FIGS. 4A through 4D, there is no facing materialapplied to side faces 473-476 of foam component 404, and thus side faces473-476 of foam component 404 respectively coincide with side faces413-416 of panel 405. As seen in FIG. 4B, and as explained in moredetail below, front and rear faces 410 and 411 of panel 405 are formedby reinforced facing material 412 bonded to faces 470 and 471 of foamcomponent 404.

In some embodiments, the reinforced facing material applied to a face ofa polymer foam sheet may be a fibrous reinforcing material. In some suchembodiments, that fibrous reinforcing material may have a structure thatis similar to the construction of the portion of a load restraint stripconfigured to adhere to an interior wall of a cargo container. Examplesof such load restraint strips include, without limitation, thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,802, U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,779, U.S. Pat.No. 6,607,337, U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,459, U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,609, U.S.Pat. No. 7,018,151, U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,698, U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,969,U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,074, U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,752, U.S. Pat. No.8,128,324, U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,607, U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,608, U.S. Pat.No. 8,403,609, U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,852, U.S. Pat. No. 8,419,329, U.S.Pat. No. 8,979,449, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/463,352. Allof said patents and said patent application are incorporated byreference herein. Additional examples include, without limitation, loadrestraint strips sold under the name Ty-Gard 2000® by Walnut Industries,Inc. of Bensalem, Pa., US.

The portion of a load restraint strip configured to adhere to aninterior wall of a cargo container (hereinafter, “container walladhering portion”) may include an adhesive layer that is covered by arelease paper backing. At the time of use, the release paper backing isremoved, and the exposed adhesive layer may then placed into contactwith a container wall. The container wall adhering portion is typicallyless than the entire load restraint strip. In particular, the adhesiveintended for adherence to a container wall may not extend the entirelength of the load restraint strip. In some embodiments, the containerwall adhering portion may be cut from a load restraint strip and used asfacing material 412. After cutting the container wall adhering portionfrom the rest of the load restraint strip, the adhesive release papermay be removed to expose the adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer thenapplied to a face of a foam component. In other embodiments, a facingmaterial may be a specially fabricated sheet that has a structuresimilar to that of a container wall adhering portion of a load restraintstrip, but with the adhesive extending the entire length and width ofthe facing material.

FIG. 4C is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the location indicatedin FIG. 4B. Facing material 412 may cover all of front face 470 of foamcomponent 404, and the structure shown in FIG. 4C may be representativeof the entire front face 410 of panel 405. As seen in FIG. 4C, facingmaterial 412 includes a base layer 421, a reinforcement layer 422, andan attachment layer 423. Base layer 421 includes a sheet 431 of baselayer material. Sheet 431 may be, e.g., a continuous piece of spunbonded polyethylene fiber material. Examples of such material includesthe product sold under the trade name TYVEK. In other embodiments,another material may be used in base layer 421. Examples of other baselayer materials include bands of other types of spun bonded polymerfibers, films of polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (e.g., such asfilms sold under the trade name MYLAR) or other polymers, paper, bandsof woven, knitted or felted natural fibers (e.g., cotton), and bands ofwoven or knitted artificial fibers. In still other embodiments, multiplematerials may be used in a base layer and/or a base layer may comprisemultiple separate material pieces. Exemplary thicknesses for a spunbonded polyester fiber base layer 421 are between 8 mils and 11 mils,where 1 mil =0.001 inch =0.0254 millimeters (mm). This range is solelyfor purposes of example, however. Embodiments include cargo restraintpanels having a reinforcing material in which a base layer material bandhas a thickness substantially outside this range. Embodiments alsoinclude cargo restraint panels having a fibrous reinforcing materialthat lacks a layer such as base layer 421, and/or in which areinforcement layer is directly bonded to a foam component face.

Reinforcement layer 422 is fixed relative to base layer 421. Inparticular, reinforcement fibers 433 are bonded to a side of sheet 431by a laminating adhesive 432. In some embodiments, fibers 433 areparallel to one another and may extend from one edge of face 410 to anopposite edge. In some embodiments, fibers 433 are bundles of polymerstrands having a denier (i.e., a linear mass density in grams per 9000meters) of between about 1400 and about 1650. In some embodiments, theremay be between 5 and 25 fibers 433 per inch in a direction perpendicularto the fibers. That direction is labeled “X” in FIG. 4C. Exemplarymaterials for the strands of fibers 433 include polyester. Embodimentsalso include cargo restraint panels in which a reinforcement layercomprises reinforcement fibers formed from one or more other materials(e.g., glass, polypropylene, carbon), embodiments in which reinforcementfibers have other denier values, and embodiments in which the number offibers per inch less than 5 or greater than 25.

In at least some embodiments, laminating adhesive 432 may be an ethylenevinyl acetate water based copolymer adhesive. Embodiments include cargorestraint panels in which other types of laminating adhesive are used.Attachment layer 423 is fixed relative to reinforcement layer 422 andrelative to face 470 of foam component 404. In some embodiments,attachment layer 423 may comprise a first adhesive layer 434, a secondadhesive layer 436 and a substrate layer 435. Substrate layer 435 atleast partially separates adhesive layers 434 and 436. In someembodiments, however, substrate layer 435 may include holes or otherperforations permitting direct contact between adhesive layers 434 and436 in certain regions. In some embodiments, substrate layer 435 may beabsent. In at least some embodiments, adhesive layers 434 and 436 maycomprise an acrylic adhesive and substrate layer 435 may comprise a filmof polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other polymer. In someembodiments, attachment layer 423 may be an adhesive similar to thatused for laminating adhesive 432.

FIG. 4D is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the location indicatedin FIG. 4B. Facing material 412 may cover all of rear face 471 of foamcomponent 404, and the structure shown in FIG. 4D may be representativeof the entire rear face 411 of panel 405. As seen in FIG. 4D, the facingmaterial 412 applied to rear face 471 may be the same as that applied toface 470.

Although cargo restraint panel 405 has reinforced facing materialapplied to two faces, embodiments include cargo restraint panels havingfacing material on fewer, more, or all faces of a foam component. Forexample, facing material 412 could be applied to one or more of sidefaces 473-476 of foam component 404 in a manner similar to the manner inwhich material 412 is applied to front face 470 and rear face 471. Insome embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may comprise different typesof facing material applied to different locations.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a cargo restraint panel505 taken from a location similar to that of the cross sectional view ofFIG. 4C. Similar to cargo restraint panel 405, cargo restraint panel 505includes a foam component 504 that is a single polymer foam sheet.Facing material 512 may cover all of a front face 570 of foam component504, and the structure shown in FIG. 5 may be representative of anentire front face 510 of panel 505. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, thefacing material 512 comprises a monolithic polymer sheet 531 bonded toface 570 of foam component 504 by a layer of adhesive 523. Sheet 531 maybe, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate. Other types of polymer materialsmay be used for sheet 531. Adhesive layer 523 may comprise an ethylenevinyl acetate water based copolymer adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, orsome other type of adhesive. A rear and/or one or more side faces offoam component 504 may be covered by facing material 512 in a mannersimilar to front face 570.

The reinforced facing materials shown in FIGS. 4C-5 merely representsome examples. In other embodiments, other types of reinforcement may beincluded (e.g., cross-weave materials). Facing material sheets may haveother structures, e.g., the relative locations of substrate layer 421and reinforcement layer 422 could be reversed. Facing material sheetsmay include multiple layers of reinforcement, e.g., a layer similar tolayer 422 of FIG. 4C and a layer similar to sheet 531 of FIG. 5.Additional embodiments include, without limitation: embodiments in whichthe facing material is similar to facing material 412, but in which baselayer 421 is absent; embodiments in which the facing material is similarto facing material 412, but in which reinforcement layer 422 is absent;embodiments in which the facing material is similar to facing material512, but in which monolithic polymer sheet 531 is replaced with a wovenor knitted material; and embodiments in which a reinforcement facingmaterial is bonded to a face of a polymer foam sheet in a differentmanner (e.g., fused or otherwise embedded into the face of the polymerfoam sheet during a molding process).

As indicated above, some embodiments include facing material that may besimilar in structure to a load restraint strip. In some suchembodiments, a cargo restraint panel may be fabricated by cuttingportions of load restraint strips and applying those cut portions to oneor more faces of a foam component. In other embodiments, a facingmaterial may have a similar structure, but may be formed in a differentmanner. As but one example, a layer of adhesive could be sprayed on oneor more faces of a foam component. Reinforcing fibers could then beapplied to those same faces, and the sprayed adhesive allowed to cure.

Cargo restraint panels comprising polymer foam can be reusable. Thisoffers a substantial advantage over various types of conventionaldunnage materials. Including reinforcing material on one or more facesof a cargo restraint panel helps to increase the service life of thatpanel by preventing damage if a panel face is subjected to aconcentrated load (e.g., from a corner of a crate). In some embodiments,panel service life may be further increased by including additionalreinforcement along edges of a panels' foam component. Edges of a panelmay often be more exposed and subject to damaging impact from cargo,equipment, etc.

FIG. 6A is a front view of a cargo restraint panel 605 according to someembodiments. FIG. 6B is a side view of panel 605. FIG. 6C is a rear viewof panel 605. Panel 605 has a front face 610, a rear face 611, and sidefaces 613 through 616. FIG. 6D is a cross-sectional view, from thelocation indicated in FIG. 6A, taken across the plane of side face 615.The irregular line in FIG. 6D indicates that a portion of panel 605 hasbeen omitted for convenience. Cross sections taken across the planes ofside faces 613, 614, and 615 would have a structure similar to thatshown in FIG. 6D.

Similar to panels 405 and 505, and as best seen in FIG. 6D, panel 605includes a foam component 604 that is a single sheet of polymer foam.Side faces 673-676 of foam component 604 are indicated in FIGS. 6A-6D.As discussed below in connection with FIGS. 6E and 6F, however, fibrousreinforcing material 612 is bonded to a front face 670 and rear face 671of foam component 604. Because they are covered by reinforcing material612, front face 670 and rear face 671 of foam component 604 are notvisible in FIGS. 6A-6C. Accordingly, parenthetical references are usedin FIGS. 6A-6C to indicate the locations of faces 670 and 671. Becauseside faces 673-676 are only partially covered by arms of edge guards651, the locations of side faces 673-676 are indicated in FIGS. 6A and6C without parentheses.

Edge guard 651 a corresponds to an edge of foam component 604 formed atthe meeting of front face 670 and side face 675. Edge guard 651 bcorresponds to an edge of foam component 604 formed at the meeting offront face 670 and side face 676. Edge guard 651 c corresponds to anedge of foam component 604 formed at the meeting of front face 670 andside face 673. Edge guard 651 d corresponds to an edge of foam component604 formed at the meeting of front face 670 and side face 674. As seenin FIG. 6C, edge guards 651 e, 651 f, 651 g, and 651 h respectivelycorrespond to an edge of foam component 604 formed at the meeting ofrear face 671 and side face 673, an edge of foam component 604 formed atthe meeting of rear face 671 and side face 674, an edge of foamcomponent 604 formed at the meeting of rear face 671 and side face 675,and an edge of foam component 604 formed at the meeting of rear face 671and side face 676. In the embodiment of panel 605, edge guards 651 a-651d are formed as a first integral piece that has been bonded to foamcomponent 604, and edge guards 651 e-651 h are formed as a secondintegral piece that has been bonded to foam component 604. In otherembodiments, however, one or more of edge guards 651 a-651 d may beindividual pieces (or multiple pieces), and one or more of guards 651e-651 h may be individual pieces (or multiple pieces). Moreover, an edgeguard need not be continuous.

Each of edge guards 651 includes two legs. For example, edge guard 651 aincludes legs 652 a and 653 a. Leg 652 a extends over front face 670 offoam component 604 and forms a portion of front face 610 of panel 605.Leg 653 a extends over side face 675 of foam component 604 and forms aportion of side face 615 of panel 605. Legs 652 g and 653 g similarlycover rear face 671 and side face 675 of foam component 604 and formportions of rear face 611 and side face 615 of panel 605.

In some embodiments, each of edge guard legs 652 extends a minimaldistance over a front or rear face of foam component 604. In some suchembodiments, each leg 652 may have a width w1 (FIG. 6A) of 3 inches orless. In other embodiments, each leg 652 may have a width w1 of 2 inchesor less, or of 1 inch or less. Each of edge guard legs 653 may extend aminimal distance over a side face of foam component 604. In some suchembodiments, each leg 653 may have a width w2 (FIG. 6B) of 3 inches orless, of 2 inches or less, or of 1 inch or less.

FIG. 6E is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken from the firstlocation indicated in FIG. 6D and shows the structure of panel 605around the edge of foam component 604 formed by faces 670 and 675. Asindicated above, foam component 604 is a single sheet of polymer foam.Reinforcing material 612 comprises parallel fibers 633 bonded to frontface 670 with adhesive 632. Fibers 633 may, e.g., be similar to fibers633 described in connection with FIG. 4C and adhesive 632 may, e.g., besimilar to any of the adhesives described in connection with FIG. 4C.Fibers 633 are parallel, may cover all or substantially all of frontface 670, and may have a distribution of between 5 and 25 fibers perinch in a direction perpendicular to fibers 633. In other embodiments,reinforcing fibers may have other distribution densities and/or may bearranged in a different manner. Other types of fibrous reinforcingmaterials, including those previously described, may alternately beused.

In the embodiment of panel 605, edge guards 651 are more rigid than thepolymer foam of foam component 604, more rigid than reinforcing material612, and less compressible than the polymer foam of foam component 604.Examples of materials that can be used to form edge guards 651 include,without limitation, plastics, plastic composites (e.g., reinforcedpolyethylene or polypropylene tape coated with an appropriate dryadhesive), and fiberglass composites. In some embodiments, the materialof an edge guard may be similar to the material used for a fibrousreinforcing material to cover a panel face, but may include one or moreadditional layers of bonded fibers so as to increase the rigidity of theedge guard relative to reinforcement in other regions.

Edge guard 651 a is bonded to foam component 604 with adhesive 659. Inparticular, leg 652 a is indirectly bonded to front face 670 overreinforcing material 612. Leg 653 a is directly bonded to side face 675.In other embodiments, reinforcing material may also be bonded to one ormore side faces, and a leg of an edge guard could be bonded to such sideface reinforcing material. Adhesive 659 may be the same as adhesive 632or may be a different type of adhesive.

FIG. 6F is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the second locationindicated in FIG. 6D and shows the structure of panel 605 around theedge of foam component 604 formed by faces 671 and 675. Parallel fibers633 of reinforcing material 612 are bonded to rear face 671 withadhesive 632. Edge guard 651 g is bonded to foam component 604 withadhesive 659. Leg 652 g is indirectly bonded to front face 671 overreinforcing material 612. Leg 653 g is directly bonded to side face 675.In other embodiments, a fibrous reinforcing material bonded to a foamcomponent rear face (or to side faces) may have other configurations orbe formed from other materials (e.g., as mentioned in connection withFIG. 6E). A single cargo restraint panel may include multiple types offibrous reinforcing materials having different configurations and/orformed from different materials, and/or may include edge guards havingdifferent configurations and/or formed from different materials.

In the embodiment of panel 605, and as partially seen in FIG. 6B,portions of foam component 604 corner edges remain uncovered so as notto obstruct compression of panel 605 front face 610 toward panel 605rear face 611. For example, the corner edge formed by side faces 675 and674 is partially covered by legs of edge guards 651 a, 651 d, 651 f and651 g, but the center portion of that corner edge is exposed. The othercorner edges have a similar configuration. In some embodiments, a cargorestraint panel may also include protection along the full length ofsome or all corner edges.

FIG. 7A is a front view of a cargo restraint panel 705 according to onesuch embodiment. FIG. 7B is another side view of panel 705 taken fromthe location indicated in FIG. 7A. Except as described below, panel 705is similar to panel 605. An element of panel 705 and a similar elementof panel 605 will have reference numbers offset by 100.

Panel 705 differs from panel 605 by including edge guard extensions 754that cover corner edges of panel 705. For example, an edge guardextension 754 a projects from leg 753 a of edge guard 751 a and from leg753 d of edge guard 751 d. An edge guard extension 754 b projects fromleg 753 g of edge guard 751 g and from leg 753 f of edge guard 751 f.Extensions 754 a and 754 b overlap so as to fully cover, with legs 753a, 753 d, 753 g, and 753 f, the corner edge of foam component 704 formedby side face 775 and side face 774. Additional edge guard extensions arepositioned in a similar manner at the other three corner edges.

FIG. 7C is an enlarged area cross-sectional view of panel 705 taken fromthe location indicated in FIG. 7B. As indicated by the irregular line, aportion of panel 705 is omitted from the figure. As seen in FIG. 7C, aportion of extension 754 a rests over a portion of extension 754 b.However, extensions 754 a and 754 b are not bonded to one another.Accordingly, when the front face 710 of panel 705 is compressed towardrear face 711, the interior side 755 a of extension 754 a can moveacross the exterior side 756 b of extension 754 b, and compression ofpanel 705 is thus not impeded.

In embodiments described thus far, the foam component of a cargorestraint panel was a single sheet of polymer foam. In some embodiments,a foam component may include multiple sheets of polymer foam. In theabove-described embodiments that include edge guards, the edges aresquare. In other embodiments, some or all edges may be rounded. FIG. 8is a cross-sectional view of a cargo restraint panel 805 that includes amulti-sheet foam component 804 and that has rounded edges. Thesectioning plane of FIG. 8 is perpendicular to a side of panel 805,similar to the sectioning plane of FIG. 6D. Sectioning planes acrossother sides would show similar structures. Except as described below,panel 805 may be similar to panel 605. An element of panel 805 and asimilar element of panel 605 will have reference numbers offset by 200.

Panel 805 includes a foam component 804 that has three polymer foamsheets 899 a, 899 b, and 899 c. In the embodiment of panel 805, eachsheet 899 extends the entire length and width of foam component 804, butonly forms approximately one-third of the thickness of component 804. Arear face 871 a of sheet 899 a is bonded to a front face 870 b of sheet899 b. A rear face 871 b of sheet 899 b is bonded to a front face 870 cof sheet 899 c.

Edges formed by front face 870 a of sheet 899 a and side faces of foamcomponent 804 are rounded and are covered by rounded edge guards, as areedges formed by rear face 871 c of sheet 899 c and side faces ofcomponent 804. For example, an edge guard 851 a is bonded to and coversan edge formed by front face 870 a of sheet 899 a and side face 875 ofcomponent 804, and an edge guard 851 g is bonded to and covers an edgeformed by rear face 871 c of sheet 899 c and side face 875 of component804. In some embodiments, corner edges of component 804 may also berounded. Such rounded edges may be partially covered by rounded edgeguards (e.g., similar to the configuration of panel 605) or may becompletely covered by edge guards (e.g., similar to the configuration ofpanel 705). A fibrous reinforcing material 812 (which may be similar toreinforcing material 612) may be bonded to front face 870 a of sheet 899a and to rear face 871 c of sheet 899 c.

Although panel 805 includes multiple foam sheets and rounded edges,embodiments include cargo restraint panels having multiple sheets andsquare edges, as well as cargo restraint panels having a single sheetfoam component and rounded edges. All edges of a cargo restraint panelneed not be rounded or rounded to the same shape. A multi-sheet foamcomponent may have two polymer foam sheets or may have more than threepolymer foam sheets. A multi-sheet foam component may include sheetsformed from different types of foam. For example, sheets 899 a and 899 ccould be formed of a denser polymer foam that is more resistant todamage, with sheet 899 b formed from a less dense polymer foam thatprovides more cushioning. The arrangement of polymer foam sheets in amulti-sheet foam component is not limited a front-to-rear stack as shownin FIG. 8. In some embodiments, foam sheets may be arranged in aside-to-side fashion. Any of the various embodiments described in thisparagraph may include a fibrous reinforcing material bonded to one ormore foam component faces, which reinforcing material may be similar toreinforcing material 612 or to other types of fibrous reinforcementdisclosed herein.

Although some embodiments described above include cargo restraint panelswith edge guards placed over fibrous reinforcing material, otherembodiments include cargo restraint panels in which the fibrousreinforcing material is omitted from front or rear face regions thatwill be covered by edge guards. Edge guards need not be included on alledges of a cargo restraint panel, and/or may only be included on frontface or rear face edges.

In some embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may include a polymercoating to provide further wear protection, chemical protection, and/orother type of protection. Such polymers can include urethane and epoxyresins and concrete elastomeric materials, and can be applied byspraying or by other processes. Such coating could be applied beforeapplication of reinforcing material and edge guards (if either is used),between application of reinforcing material and edge guards (if both areused), or after application of reinforcing material and edge guards (ifboth are used).

Any of the cargo restraint panels described herein can be used inconfigurations similar to those shown in FIGS. 1A through 2B, or inother cargo loading configurations. For example, FIG. 9A is a side viewof a railcar 900 loaded with cargo units 901 separated by cargorestraint panels 605. FIG. 9B is a top view of railcar 900. In theembodiment of FIGS. 9A and 9B, cargo restraint panels 605 provide bothlongitudinal and lateral restraint of cargo units 901, and thus no othertypes of dunnage materials are needed. For example, inflatable air bagsare not needed. Restraining forces on cargo units 901 are thusdistributed more thoroughly and evenly. As another example, paperdunnage materials are not used, thereby avoiding problems associatedwith paper dunnage materials. Different types of cargo restraint panelssuch as described herein may be used in combination in a single loadingconfiguration (e.g., within a single railcar).

Cargo restraint panels according to various embodiments may be providedin a wide range of sizes. In some embodiments for example, cargorestraint panels have a thicknesses ranging from 1 inch to 12 inches,with panel thickness measured on an axis perpendicular to a panel frontface (e.g., perpendicular to front face 410 of panel 405). In some suchembodiments, panels may have length and width dimensions, measured onaxes perpendicular to the thickness axis, such that a panel front facehas an area of at least 1 square foot, at least 2 square feet, at least4 square feet, at least 9 square feet, at least 16 square feet, or atleast 32 square feet.

In some embodiments, cargo restraint panels such as are disclosed hereinmay be used in conjunction with other types of cargo restraint. Forexample, one or more cargo units may be secured by lashing to the floorof a boxcar. Cargo restraint panels could then be interposed between thelashed cargo unit and other cargo units that are not lashed to theboxcar floor.

In the examples of FIGS. 1A-2B, cargo restraint panels are stacked inhorizontal directions, but each panel 105 has a height that reachesalmost to the ceiling of the railcar. In some embodiments, cargorestraint panels may also be stacked in the vertical direction. Forexample, instead of separating two 10 foot high stacks of cargo unitswith a single 10 foot by 4 foot by 4 inch cargo restraint panel, two 5foot by 4 foot by 4 inch cargo restraint panels could be used. In someother embodiments, cargo restraint panels could be “stacked” in thedirection of axis W. For example, instead of separating two 10 foot highstacks of cargo units with a single 10 foot by 4 foot by 4 inch cargorestraint panel, two 10 foot by 2 foot by 4 inch panels could be used.

In the examples of FIGS. 1A-2B, cargo restraint panels 105 cover theentire front and rear faces of a cargo unit. In other embodiments, acargo restraint panel (or combination of cargo restraint panel) maycover less than all of a cargo unit face. As but one example, two 10foot high stacks of 4 foot wide cargo units may be separated by a 9 footby 3 foot by 4 inch cargo restraint panel that is approximately centeredover the faces of the two stacks contacted by the panel.

In cargo restraint panels such as those described above, including cargorestraint panels such as those described in connection with FIGS. 1A-9B,some or all polymer foam sheets may comprise or consist of EPS(including, without limitation, the above-mentioned grades thereof). Insome embodiments, a cargo restraint panel may include one or morepolymer foam sheets formed from another type of polymer foam. Suchpanels may include panels similar to those described above, but with aone or more polymer foam sheets including or consisting of a polymerfoam other than EPS. Examples of other polymer foams that may be usedinclude, without limitation, extruded polystyrene (XEPS) (e.g., ASTM C578-95 Type X, Type IV, Type VI, Type VII, Type V) and EPS Geofoam(e.g., ASTM D6817 EPS12 Type XI, EPS15 Type 1, EPS19 Type VIII, EPS 22Type II, EPS29 Type IX, EPS 39 Type XIV, EPS46). In some embodiments,cargo restraint panels comprising multiple types of foam may be used ina single railcar (e.g., one or more panels may comprise EPS and one ormore panels may comprise another type of polymer foam).

Although the examples of cargo restraint panels shown in the drawingsare rectangular and have substantially planar and parallel front andrear faces, embodiments also include cargo restraint panels having othershapes. For example, cargo restraint panels according to someembodiments may have less than four sides or more than four sides. Cargorestraint panels according to some embodiments may be all or partiallycircular, may be all or partially elliptical, or otherwise have an atleast partially curved shape. Side faces need not be planar and can becompletely curved, can be faceted, and/or can have other configurations.Front and rear faces of a cargo restraint panel need not be parallel.Front and rear faces need not be substantially planar.

In at least some embodiments, a method of securing cargo within arailcar may include (a) placing one or more cargo restraint panelsagainst a railcar wall or other object within a railcar interior, and(b) placing one or more cargo units in the railcar interior and againstthe one or more cargo restraint panels placed in (a). In someembodiments the method may include repeating steps (a) and (b) multipletimes.

In some embodiments, a method may include alternately positioning cargounits and cargo restraint panels between end walls of a railcarinterior. In some embodiments, the alternately positioning may includeplacing some cargo units in directly adjoining positions along thedirection between the end walls (e.g., as in FIGS. 1A and 1B), while inother embodiments, no cargo units are placed in directly adjoiningpositions along the direction between the end walls (e.g., as in FIGS.2A and 2B).

In some embodiments, a method of securing cargo in a railcar includesplacing a plurality of cargo units in a railcar and placing a pluralitycargo restraint panels in the railcar. The cargo units and the cargorestraint panels are arranged, in a front to rear direction of therailcar, in alternating groups of one or more cargo units separated byone or more cargo restraint panels. Each of the cargo restraint panelscomprises a cargo restraint panel such as is disclosed herein. All ofthe cargo units may secured in the front to rear direction by one ofanother of the cargo units or one of the cargo restraint panels.

In methods such as those described above, cargo units and cargorestraint panels may be placed so that each of the cargo restraintpanels is partially compressed. An example of such loading is shown inFIGS. 9A and 9B. In such a configuration, each of the panels may be heldin place as a result of such compression. This allows loading withoutuse of straps or other mechanisms to secure dunnage to a cargo unit. Insome embodiments, and as also illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, methodsmay include securing cargo units within a railcar using cargo restraintpanels such as are disclosed herein, and without using paper dunnagematerials, inflatable dunnage bags, or other types of conventionaldunnage materials.

Embodiments include a railcar loaded in accordance with methodsdescribed herein.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. The foregoing description is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit embodiments to the precise formexplicitly described or mentioned herein. Modifications and variationsare possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired frompractice of various embodiments. The embodiments discussed herein werechosen and described in order to explain the principles and the natureof various embodiments and their practical application to enable oneskilled in the art to make and use these and other embodiments withvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.Any and all permutations of features from above-described embodimentsare the within the scope of the invention.

1. A cargo restraint panel comprising: a foam component comprising atleast one polymer foam sheet, the foam component including a front face,a rear face, and a plurality of side faces extending between the frontface and the rear face, wherein a plurality of front edges are formed atmeetings of the front face and the plurality of side faces, a pluralityof rear edges are formed at meetings of the rear face and the pluralityof side faces, and a plurality of corner edges are formed at meetings ofadjacent side faces of the plurality of side faces; a plurality ofplastic guards, bonded to the foam component, and covering the frontedges, the rear edges, and the corner edges; a front sheet of fibrousmaterial bonded to and covering the front face; and a rear sheet offibrous material bonded to and covering the rear face.
 2. The cargorestraint panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of plastic guardspartially cover the front face and the rear face in regions adjacent thefront edges and the rear edges.
 3. The cargo restraint panel of claim 1,wherein the front sheet of fibrous material comprises a non-wovenfibrous material.
 4. The cargo restraint panel of claim 1, wherein therear sheet of fibrous material comprises a non-woven fibrous material.5. The cargo restraint panel of claim 1, wherein the at least onepolymer foam sheet is a single polymer foam sheet having a front faceforming the front face of the foam component, a rear face forming therear face of the foam component, and a plurality of side faces formingthe plurality of side faces of the foam component.
 6. The cargorestraint panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer foam sheetcomprises first and second polymer foam sheets, the first polymer foamsheet has a first front face forming the front face of the foamcomponent, a first rear face, and a plurality of first side facesforming portions of the plurality of side faces of the foam component,the second polymer foam sheet has a second front face oriented towardthe first rear face, a second rear face forming the rear face of thefoam component, and a plurality of second side faces forming additionalportions of the plurality of side faces of the foam component, and thesecond polymer foam sheet is fixed relative to the first polymer foamsheet.
 7. The cargo restraint panel of claim 6, further comprising athird polymer foam sheet situated between the first polymer foam sheetand the second polymer foam sheet, and wherein a density of foammaterial in the third polymer foam sheet is less than a density of foammaterial in the first polymer foam sheet and less than a density of foammaterial in the second polymer foam sheet.
 8. The cargo restraint panelof claim 1, wherein a front face of the cargo restraint panel has anarea of at least 4 square feet.
 9. The cargo restraint panel of claim 1,wherein portions of the guards overlap.
 10. A method comprising: placinga plurality of cargo units in a railcar; and placing a plurality ofcargo restraint panels in the railcar, wherein, after placement of theplurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargo restraint panels inthe railcar, the plurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargorestraint panels are arranged, in a front to rear direction of therailcar, in alternating groups of one or more cargo units, of theplurality of cargo units, separated by one or more cargo restraintpanels, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels, and wherein eachcargo restraint panel, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels,comprises: a foam component comprising at least one polymer foam sheet,the foam component including a front face, a rear face, and a pluralityof side faces extending between the front face and the rear face,wherein a plurality of front edges are formed at meetings of the frontface and the plurality of side faces, a plurality of rear edges areformed at meetings of the rear face and the plurality of side faces, anda plurality of corner edges are formed at meetings of adjacent sidefaces of the plurality of side faces; a plurality of plastic guards,bonded to the foam component, and covering the front edges, the rearedges, and the corner edges; a front sheet of fibrous material bonded toand covering the front face; and a rear sheet of fibrous material bondedto and covering the rear face.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein,after placement of the plurality of cargo units and the plurality ofcargo restraint panels in the railcar, each of the cargo units, of theplurality of cargo units, is secured in the front to rear direction byother cargo units, of the plurality of cargo units, and by other cargorestraint panels of the plurality of cargo restraint panels.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein, after placement of the plurality of cargounits and the plurality cargo of restraint panels in the railcar, eachof the cargo restraint panels, of the plurality of cargo restraintpanels, is in contact with one of the cargo units, of the plurality ofcargo units, positioned directly in front of that cargo restraint panel,and each of the cargo restraint panels, of the plurality of cargorestraint panels, is in contact with one of the cargo units, of theplurality of cargo units, positioned directly to the rear of that cargorestraint panel.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein, after placement ofthe plurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargo restraint panelsin the railcar, each of the cargo restraint panels, of the plurality ofcargo restraint panels, is partially compressed.
 14. The method of claim11, wherein none of the plurality of cargo restraint panels spans anentire width of the railcar.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein, afterplacement of the plurality of cargo units and the plurality of cargorestraint panels in the railcar, each of the cargo units, of theplurality of cargo units, is secured in the front to rear direction byother cargo units, of the plurality of cargo units, and by other cargorestraint panels, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels, each cargorestraint panel, of the plurality of cargo restraint panels, ispartially compressed, and none of the plurality of cargo restraintpanels spans an entire width of the railcar.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein, after placement of the plurality of cargo units and theplurality of cargo restraint panels in the railcar, the plurality ofcargo units and the plurality of cargo restraint panels extendcontinuously from an interior rear end wall of the railcar to aninterior front end wall of the railcar.